And you never knew who was going to correctly guess the prices. Some people knew them amazingly well, and other people had very little knowledge about them. But on the show, it did not make any difference. A ridiculous bid could be just as much fun as an accurate bid, so far as the crowd reaction was concerned. And you never knew who was going to win. Some people knew the games very well, and others looked panicked and confused—but even those confused folks could surprise you. I couldn’t tell who was going to win. I have seen people walk off that show with hoards of money and prizes, and I would never have imagined them doing so well. That was the beauty of the show.
• • •
Eventually, we had about eighty different games in rotation on the show. I came up with several. Roger Dobkowitz developed the most games. Our director, Bart Eskander, was very creative. Anyone who worked for FremantleMedia could submit an idea for a game, and sometimes they worked. The inspiration for game ideas came from various sources. For example, Plinko was based on an old arcade pinball-like game called pachinko. Created by Frank Wayne, it had its debut in 1983. Plinko went on to become one of the audience’s all-time favorite games on The Price Is Right.
Everyone has his or her favorite games. Cliff Hangers was a big hit with audiences and contestants. People also loved the Clock Game. One of the games always associated with a huge prize was Golden Road. People would scream at the very mention of Golden Road. It gave the contestant a chance to win three prizes, and the third prize was always something in the category of a Viper. Naturally, that game elicited tons of excitement from audiences and contestants.
I didn’t have a favorite game, but I particularly liked the games that gave me an opportunity to interact with the contestants a lot and, in so doing, to create excitement and laughter. Three Strikes, Triple Play, and It’s in the Bag fit in that category.
In addition to the games, the prizes and the showcases were an important part of Price’s appeal to audiences. Cars were the most popular prize, and every year the cars got bigger, flashier, more glamorous, and more expensive. The first car I gave away on The Price Is Right was a Chevrolet Vega with a price tag of $2,650. As time went on, we had to remodel game props to accommodate five numerals instead of four because we couldn’t get cars with a price of less than $10,000. At Price, we knew a thing or two about inflation.
But we still gave away new cars—sports cars, convertibles, and all kinds of expensive luxury cars that were unusual—and people went crazy over them. We gave away Lincoln Continentals, Cadillacs, and Chevrolets. We gave away that popular, expensive Dodge Viper. As I mentioned earlier, we had made the decision to give away only American-manufactured cars. This may have cost the show a little more, but we felt it was the right thing to do, to show support for the nation’s industry and to help promote American cars. Some of the foreign car companies were offering cars at lower prices and offered us substantial discounts on cars, but we stuck to our guns and it all worked out. And there were plenty of beautiful American cars that were ecstatically received by our contestants.
As my animal rights activism and concerns became more intense, I was able to implement certain changes on The Price Is Right. By the early 1980s, the show was no longer giving away fur or leather products as prizes. We stopped giving away aquariums and fishing equipment. And for years I ended the show with: “Help control the pet population. Have your pets spayed or neutered.” These were not critical changes or modifications to the show, but it was a by-product of my increased awareness and involvement with animal rights. Out of respect for my beliefs and my vegetarianism, the staff stopped putting meat on the grills and barbecues that we gave away. They would have vegetables sitting on the grill. It may sound like a minor thing, but it was a wonderful gesture, a subtle statement, and a sign of the consideration on the part of the staff.
• • •
The showcases were often elaborate set pieces, and our staff did a superb job putting these displays together. People look at The Price Is Right and think that the show is simple and relatively easy to produce, but there is a great deal of preparation (far more than most people imagine) in bringing everything together to produce the show. It is a fast-moving show, which makes it difficult for the cameramen and a challenge for the stagehands, who are constantly shuttling props, games, and prizes around the set. The cameramen and other technicians, announcer, and models rehearsed the presentation of the showcases and prizes. I didn’t attend the rehearsals, but for the others, they were a crucial part of preparation. The logistics alone are a challenge when you are dealing with the elaborate games and the huge prizes. All of these things have to be assembled, moved, and stored.
Nevertheless, when The Price Is Right went on the air, it immediately resembled a party atmosphere, and the enthusiasm was infectious. The audience’s energy fueled the contestants, the contestant’s energy fueled the audience, and everyone, including the staff of the show and myself, could feed off the energy and reactions of the crowd. One of the best compliments I ever received as host of the show is related to this energy level. I made the games as exciting as I could. I tried to make Price a daily special event. A frequent comment, coming from different executives at the network or people in the industry, was that the energy level in our studio was the highest they had ever seen. They would say, “I watch this show, and you have been doing it for twenty-five years, and you come out there every day and make it look like the very first day of the show.” That compliment meant I was earning my money.
That is what I worked for at Truth or Consequences and The Price Is Right. I figured if we were going to do it, I wanted to do it as well as I could do it that day, and I would often say that to the folks in the dressing room. We would be talking about something, and I would say, “All right, it is time to go. Let’s go out there now, and let’s do this just as though it were opening day!” And away we would go. You can do that when you are enjoying something. If you did not like the show and you did not want to be there, then you should find another job. I loved doing both T or C and Price. So did my colleagues. And it showed.
The party would start in the audience line outside the studio. People came from all over the country to attend the show. There were all races, all ages, all economic levels, and together they were having a party out there. They would be dancing, telling jokes, telling stories, and getting to know each other. On the show, everyone was cheering each other on. There was something inspiring and uplifting about that. Obviously, we were not solving the world’s problems, but just seeing so many different kinds of people, everyday people, coming together in such a festive mood and rooting each other on was a tremendously encouraging sight.
Once the audience of 325 or so came into the studio, the party intensified. I wanted to maintain that energy and enthusiasm. One way I did that was to keep talking with the audience during commercials and stop-downs. I learned early on to keep the audience engaged and to keep the energy level up. On many shows, during a break, the host would step off and let the announcer take over. I never did that. I did not want to let the audience relax. I wanted to keep them ready to play the next game. I didn’t want to let them get tired or distracted. I wanted to keep them up and with me, so that when we started the next game, they were all pumped and excited.
I have had people who have been in television for years tell me they had never seen anyone else do what I did: staying out there to roam around and talk with the audience during the breaks. I had fun myself, getting them to laugh, talking about anything and everything, fielding questions, getting to know them. Even little things would make an impact. I remember one time at the end of the show, we had the winner’s friends come up onstage to celebrate his victory. One of the men had a baseball cap on, and he put it on my head. Immediately, I turned it around and wore it backwards. The audience had sympathy for an old man trying to regain his youth.
• • •
I have often said that the success of The Price Is Right was derived from the sponta
neity involved with the audience and the contestants. That and the fast-moving nature of the show. People think game shows are easy. They are not. First of all, you have to have a strong basic premise for a game show to succeed. Some people think they can have a weak premise, but that with dancing girls and flashing lights, the show can succeed. It does not work. The television audience for a game show is more sophisticated than most people realize. If the show is not offering genuine entertainment, they are not going to watch it. Another sign of popularity is imitation, and international editions of The Price Is Right have been produced in twenty-eight countries. Representatives of some of these foreign productions spent a week or two with us, learning how we did things, before they tried to produce their own shows. The Price Is Right was among the highest-rated shows in England and Italy and has continued to be popular around the world.
• • •
When I first started doing Truth or Consequences, the Academy did not have Emmys for daytime television. Later on, I did Truth or Consequences in syndication, and the Academy did not have Emmys for syndicated programs. It was only once I began doing The Price Is Right that I became eligible to win an Emmy Award for daytime television. I received my first Emmy for the 1981–82 season, and it was just after my wife had passed away. I regret that I did not get at least one while she was with me because she had been such an important part of me getting any. Without her, I would never have received even one. After doing everything possible to help me, Dorothy Jo saw me get my first national show, Truth or Consequences. She was with me for Price and a long list of specials, too.
Speaking of the Emmys, I got to know Alex Trebek, the host of Jeopardy!, at the Emmys. I found him to be a very bright and fun fellow. I have always thought he did Jeopardy! exceedingly well. He is perfect casting, just right for that show. He impresses viewers as being erudite; he is pleasant and has a fine voice. I always thought he was a perfect choice for Jeopardy!, and he must have been because the show has been so successful.
When I retired, Alex wrote me a beautiful letter. He sent it to me about a month before my last show. He said in the letter, “As I approach my fiftieth year in our business, I am able to more fully appreciate the tremendous accomplishments of your half century. I congratulate you.” It was a wonderful gesture on his part, and I was very touched. He also sent a generous check for the DJ&T Foundation. That meant a lot to me as well.
On the subject of other hosts, I have always admired Art Linkletter. When I was first starting out, working for KTTS radio station in Springfield, Missouri, Linkletter was doing House Party on CBS, and I used to hear his show every day when I worked my shift. When I heard his voice, the thing that came to my mind was a stream bounding down a mountain. In that wonderful voice, he would talk about his home, his family, and what they had been doing, and it brightened your day just to listen to him.
Years later, when he was a guest on Truth or Consequences, he told me backstage, “I’ve been watching you, kid. You’re going to be around a long time.” That thrilled me because I admired him immensely. He was an excellent guest on the show as well.
Groucho Marx was another host I admired. He was also a guest on Truth, and he said, “You know, when I watch you, I keep waiting for you to act like other game show hosts, but you never do.” And I took that as a huge compliment because when he became a game show host, he did You Bet Your Life. He did not act like other game show hosts, either.
• • •
The Price Is Right juggernaut of success rolled on. We passed milestone after milestone. Millions of dollars in prize money handed out. We logged our 5,000th show (and actually logged 6,500 shows before I retired). We passed Concentration as the longest-running game show. In 2001, TV Guide called The Price Is Right the number one game show of all time. There were prime-time evening specials. There were anniversary shows. I was pleased that we were able to do shows dedicated to military servicemen and women. Those were very popular. We featured the different branches of the military, and we had audiences made up entirely of military personnel. It was our way of paying tribute to them, and we received bundles of letters thanking us. We also did shows honoring the police and fire department personnel who had been involved in rescue and recovery efforts after the Pentagon and World Trade Center attacks. These were also very special shows, and we all felt proud to be associated with them.
• • •
As each year passed, there were changes and differences that were evident in Price, but the fundamentals of our success remained the same. We had newer games, gadgets, and devices. We had more modern props and prizes. Filming, editing, and sound technologies improved, and we rolled out dozens of new games, but the show remained focused on the contestant and the concept was always based on prices. The audience dressed differently, wore their hair differently, and in general became much more casually attired. The first time I interviewed an attractive young lady and I realized that her tongue was pierced, I knew that time had passed me by.
I have said that the biggest change on The Price Is Right over the years was the color of my hair. They tinted my hair for years. When tinting began to cause my hair to be blue, they tried dyeing my hair instead, and after a period of time, dyeing gave my hair a red cast. Neither was attractive.
In 1987, I went on vacation and let my hair go gray, and when I came home everyone agreed that it looked better gray than tinted or dyed, so I decided that gray it would be. But we had taped ahead, so on Tuesday I had dark hair, and on Wednesday my hair was gray. I got a card from a man in the Midwest who wrote, “Bob, you must have had one hell of a night!”
It was a little revolutionary for the time. I do not think there was another gray-haired game show host on the air then, but I felt good about it, the audience felt good about it, and we marched on into the future. As I have said, people see me on television, and because I have never been anyone other than Bob Barker—I mean, never assumed another character—they feel that they know the real me. When I came out with my silver hair, it was no different. What they see is what they get. The viewers heartily approved.
• • •
While I did Truth or Consequences shows at remote locations, we always shot The Price Is Right at the CBS studio in Hollywood. Price, with all of its props and games and prizes, is not an easy show to travel, but we did try it one time. We decided to do a show in Las Vegas in 2002 at the Rio Hotel. The crowd that descended on the hotel in hopes of getting in to see the show was far larger than what the hotel had anticipated. It was estimated that ten thousand people filled the hotel and sidewalks for blocks around the hotel. Admittedly, crowd control was a problem, but that huge gathering was also an exciting testimonial to the popularity of The Price Is Right.
I was in bed when my phone rang about 4:00 a.m.—it was an executive at the hotel. He said, “We have a problem. We have ten thousand people here for your show.”
“You don’t have a problem,” I said. “You have a problem when you have only a few people for a show. This is wonderful.” And I went back to bed.
Later I was told that there were nearly one thousand people roaming around the hotel at four thirty in the morning, trying to get in line for tickets, and we were not shooting until evening. The crowd grew as the morning broke, and eventually police had to be called in to handle the crowds. In that sense, there was a problem. But the problem attracted media attention coast to coast. And that’s good.
• • •
After Mark Goodson passed away, Price was sold to All American Television. Then All American Television sold the show to FremantleMedia. Syd Vinnedge was an executive with All American Television, and joined Fremantle at the time Fremantle purchased Price. Syd is now the executive producer of The Price Is Right. He is a good friend who has always been helpful to me professionally and personally, and I wish Syd much success with The Price Is Right for many years to come. He deserves it, and so do the folks who work with him on the show.
10
Hurray for Hollyw
ood!1950–1981
A few chapters back, I wrote that Dorothy Jo and I came to California by way of Palm Beach, Florida. Actually our sense of direction was not that bad. We had enjoyed Florida so much when I was in the navy that we decided to try it as civilians. I was twenty-five years old when I auditioned for a job at WWPG, a lovely little station on the beach in Palm Beach, and I was hired. The manager of the station, Charlie Davis, also helped Dorothy Jo get a job teaching biology at West Palm Beach High School.
We lived in Florida from the summer of 1949 to the summer of 1950. The highlight of the year for me professionally was my performance as Santa Claus during the Christmas season. I claim, and the claim has never been disputed, that I was the best Santa Claus that Palm Beach ever had—or probably will ever have. Santa Claus was sponsored by a couple of tire stores in Palm Beach. He would appear at one store and then the other every other day—well, actually every other evening. You see, Santa was on the radio during the cocktail hour—a huge advantage when it came to ratings.
I speak of Santa Claus in the third person because when I stepped out of my Palm Beach sandals, slacks, and sport shirt and into my authentic-in-every-detail Santa suit, I became Santa. Even the chap who owned the tire stores said the transformation was phenomenal. He agreed that I became Santa. I shall always cherish the Santa experience. The awe and wonder in the eyes of some of the tots brought a lump to my throat, and I dealt with them with all the respect and tenderness that I could muster.
Priceless Memories Page 14